PC Music Volume 1 is the first compilation album by British record label PC Music, released on 2 May 2015 as a paid download.[4] The album consists of remastered versions of the label's earlier work.[5]
| PC Music Volume 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by various artists | ||||
| Released | 2 May 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 29:46 | |||
| Label | PC Music | |||
| PC Music chronology | ||||
| ||||
The compilation was met with polarising, yet mostly positive reviews from critics upon its release. Some reviewers praised its innovative sound while others found the overall concept of the label to be wearing thin and the music to be shallow.
Background and composition
editBecause the label releases most of its work for free, "Every Night" by Hannah Diamond had been the only song available for purchase.[6] PC Music Volume 1 includes one new track—"USA" by GFOTY, which had previously appeared on her Secret Mix.[7]
The label's musical acts function more as avatars than as themselves. The songs carry themes of escaping physical life, with an artificial quality that intensifies feelings of longing.[8] PC Music often uses the motif of eternity,[9] and several of the songs use together/forever rhymes.[10] The album's digital take on dance-pop music favours retrofuturistic Eurodance and high-pitched, cutesy female vocals.[11] Its often minimalist production produces frenetic, distorted mixes.[8]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 73/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Consequence of Sound | B[10] |
| Crack Magazine | 10/20[13] |
| NME | 8/10[14] |
| Now | NNNN[15] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10[8] |
| Resident Advisor | 3.8/5[16] |
| Rolling Stone |    [1] |
| Spin | 8/10[17] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[2] |
PC Music Volume 1 garnered polarising[18] yet mostly positive reviews from critics.[12] As of June 2015, the album holds an aggregate 73 out of 100 based on eight reviews.[12] Consequence of Sound wrote that the album "leaves space for agnosticism about whether it's all a joke or a deathly serious artistic maneuver."[10] Spin magazine regretted the omission of some of the label's more satirical work, but it continued that "at almost 30 minutes exactly, PC Music Volume 1 quits while it's ahead."[17] Pitchfork described the album as a "rapturous, nightmarish cartoon corpus" that showcases "a meaningful spectrum of approaches within the PC Music ethos".[8]
In more mixed reviews, Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan said that with the exception of A. G. Cook's "Beautiful", "the songs are only as good as the concept, which wears thin fast."[1] A review published in The Wire described the song as "glossy, giddy, sparkly and shallow", much like music that would fitting wealthy private school teenaged student's sleepover.[19] Xavier Boucherat described how he scored the album on a 20-point scale in his review for the magazine Crack: "2 points for Danny 'dick in the pants' Harle for having arguably the funniest moniker out, 2 for those 'Red Bull own PC Music' rumours that you yourselves probably started, and 6 for GFOTY who weirdly reminds me of my mum."[13]
PC Music Volume 1 was ranked the 36th best album of 2015 by Time Out London, the 7th best experimental album by PopMatters, and made Spin and Flavorwire's lists of the best albums of the first half of 2015.[3][20][21][22]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Every Night" | Hannah Diamond | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Beautiful" | A. G. Cook | 3:49 |
| 3. | "USA" | GFOTY | 2:23 |
| 4. | "In My Dreams" | Danny L Harle | 3:28 |
| 5. | "Attachment" | Hannah Diamond | 4:19 |
| 6. | "Wannabe" | Lipgloss Twins | 2:23 |
| 7. | "Bronze" | Thy Slaughter | 2:15 |
| 8. | "Keri Baby" (featuring Hannah Diamond) | A. G. Cook | 2:10 |
| 9. | "Don't Wanna/Let's Do It" | GFOTY | 1:52 |
| 10. | "Laplander" | easyFun | 3:34 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Dolan, Jon (18 May 2015). "PC Music Volume One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ a b Robinson, Will (17 May 2015). "Review: PC Music – PC Music Vol. 1". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ a b Keens, Oliver; Manning, James; Parker, Tristan (17 December 2015). "The 50 best albums of 2015". Time Out London. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Cliff, Aimee (2 May 2015). "PC Music Just Released Their First Ever IRL Album". The Fader. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Rettig, James (2 May 2015). "PC Music Releases Singles Comp PC Music Volume 1". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Ryce, Andrew (1 May 2015). "PC Music Volume 1 collects ten highlights from the label's run thus far". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Liu, Nelson (2 May 2015). "Listen to 'PC Music Volume 1,' a Compilation of the Label's Iconic Singles". Mass Appeal. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d Tolentino, Jia (4 May 2015). "Various Artists: PC Music Volume 1". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Cliff, Aimee (21 November 2014). "PC Music Forever". The Awl. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ a b c Geffen, Sasha (3 May 2015). "Various Artists – PC Music Volume 1". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Gush, Charlotte (2 May 2015). "elusive london collective pc music drop label sampler". i-D. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ a b c "PC Music Volume 1 by Various Artists". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ a b Boucherat, Xavier. "PC Music Volume 1 Album Review". Crack. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ "8 Great Albums That May Have Passed You By This Week". NME. Inspire. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ Ritchie, Kevin (20 May 2015). ">>> PC Music Volume 1". Now. Now Communications. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ Finlayson, Angus (11 May 2015). "Various – PC Music Volume 1". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ a b Weiss, Dan (8 May 2015). "Review: 'PC Music Volume 1' Proves the Satirical Collective Can Sell Us Anything". Spin. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (15 May 2015). "The Enigmatic PC Music Is Ready for Real Life". Vulture. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ The Wire. August 2015. p.55.
- ^ Harrison, A Noa (4 August 2015). "The 10 Best Experimental Albums of 2015". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ SPIN Staff (1 June 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015 So Far". Spin. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Mapes, Jillian (23 June 2015). "The 25 Best Albums of 2015 So Far". Flavorwire. Retrieved 30 December 2020.